Reportback from Common Ground Relief 09.04.08

Hello friends, comrades and allies

We,
from Common Ground Relief, have just returned from the Louisiana Gulf
Coast from delivering supplies, as well as assessing the situation
within the region to the best of limited our abilities. Common
Grounders in New Orleans evacuated to Hattiesburg, Mississippi where
they remained safe until we all could gather information and respond.
while I and a contingent from Austin , Texas traveled in to deliver much
needed supplies.

A group of first responders traveled to some
areas and were blocked from others. The situation in the outlying areas
along the coast as many of you know were harder hit with minimal
flooding and wind damage to NOLA itself.

In comparison to
Katrina’s aftermath, the damages and neglect from the government and Red
Cross, the situations from this storm were not nearly as dire or
severe.

The state and the large bureaucratic NGO’s could not let
the response of 2005 happen again, not because they care, but because
populations of people held them more accountable. Their strategies were
again to first control the situation with direct force and control of
the affected areas , then second to supply aid. They controlled access
and aid points throughout, but we were able to maneuver through them
into affected areas.

Majority of the populations in all of the
areas were truly gone, It was deserted mostly with few hold outs as well
as those who couldn’t leave. This was true in all the areas we
visited. The presence of the state in the form of FEMA, military and
law enforcement agencies were often times the only population in areas.

Flooding
due to storm surges were minimal and affected people in lower lying as
well as remote areas. There was wind damage with what you would expect
downed power lines and trees. There were not many roofs blown off and
small amounts of mudslides across rpadways.

Around Houma , Dulac and areas along the coast there was mostly wind damagebut little flooding of what you would expect with rising tides, rains and Hurricane waters.

Roads were cleared in New Orleans and outlying areas with great speed within the first 48 hours even in residential areas.

The
greatest damage to the area in my opinion is the long slow disaster
still enacted on these communities. The disasters of neglect ,
abandonment and forgetting. Neglect in that rebuilding and return into
the most marginalized communities by the most vulnerable people is still
minimal or non-existent.Abandonment in that many non-profits, foundations and us in civil society have given attention to other matters while New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region stillneeds
our ideas, imagination and support to rebuild. Forgetting, that we
forget the impact the small things can have on peoples lives in what we
can do. Those of us with access to resources to still aid the region and
the groups doing the work. Katrina and the levee failures were the
last disaster in the long slow history of disasters on these
historically communities and Gustav was the reminder of the
vulnerability of them.

New Orleans and the region , to me ,
are just unwitting canaries in the coal mine, and reminders of how
vulnerable many communities throughout this country are.

In the
coming days, Common Ground will be re-establishing a distribution center
for basic aid supplies for residents as they return and for those who
didn’t or couldn’t leave. We are already providing basic food, water
and hygiene kits in the 7th and Lower 9th Wards.

We cleared
debris and trees from the streets of NOLA into Dulac on the coast. We
are working with Four Directions to provide support the Native and
coastal communities. We will have legal aid and communications up ASAP.
Pleasesee our site for more updated information. www.commongroundrelief.org

We
need long term SKILLED volunteers to help in continued rebuilding,
Gustav served as the reminder, that more and safer housing is still
needed.

We need carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other
skilled trades to continue our rebuilding efforts. We will need some
medical personnel in the short term to make sure there are no crisis as
residents return to NOLA and to the coastal area. We will also need
short term volunteers to help with immediate but not critical aid work.
Please check our site for updates and calls.

But mostly we need
you, in civil society, to not forget. Remember why you gave support in
the first place, why it is important for us to build bridges across
differences that matter and strengthen communities even ones we do not
know. Tell the stories, don’t you’re your communities forget , keep
rebuilding the Gulf Coast region alive in the minds and hearts of caring
people. Your words and actions from afar have impact, they have
meaning even if you cannot feel it directly. Don’t let history told by
those who assume Power to say its ok. To return to your home is a right
not a privilege from Palestine to New Orleans.